The Effects of Depression and Anxiety on Canadian Society

December 1, 2002

This independent survey was conducted by Leger Marketing in December 2002 and January 2003. It explores the effects of depression and anxiety on Canadian society by compiling and comparing regional statistics.

Experience with Depression or Anxiety

Two-thirds (67%) of Canadians have had experience with depression or anxiety, with 36% saying they have suffered from it themselves.

People in Quebec are least likely to have experienced depression or anxiety personally (24%), while people in Alberta and British Columbia are most likely to have (46% for both provinces). This compares to 31% in Atlantic Canada, 38% in Ontario and 41% in the Prairies.

Women are more likely to have experienced depression or anxiety personally (40% versus 32% of men).

People under 25 and over 65 are least likely to say they have suffered from depression or anxiety (27% and 29% respectively), when compared to those 25 to 54 years old (39%).

Two-thirds (64%) of Canadians say they know someone who has suffered from depression or anxiety.

People in Quebec (58%) and Atlantic Canada (59%) are less likely to know someone who has suffered from depression or anxiety when compared to Western Canada (75% British Columbia, 72% Alberta, 71% Prairies). By comparison, 61% of those living in Ontario know someone who has suffered from depression or anxiety.

Again, females are more likely to say they know someone who has experienced depression or anxiety (69% compared to 59% of men).

People over the age of 65 are less likely to say they know someone who has experienced depression or anxiety (51% compared to 66% of those under 65).

Effect of Depression or Anxiety

Depression or anxiety is thought to have an impact on a person’s life, with almost four-fifths of people (79%) believing this impact to be strong and 14% believing it has a slight impact. Only 4% feel that depression or anxiety would have no impact on a person’s life.

People living in Atlantic Canada are slightly less likely to feel depression and anxiety has a strong effect on people’s lives (70%), compared to 74% in the Prairies, 77% in Ontario, 79% in B.C. and 84% in both Alberta and Quebec who feel the same.

Younger people are more aware of the strength of the impact that depression and anxiety plays. Eight-four percent (84%) of people 18 to 34 years old believe the impact is strong, compared to 78% of those 35 to 64 and 71% of those 64 and over who feel the same.

More specifically, 86% of Canadians believe that depression and anxiety has a strong impact on a person’s relationships with their family and friends, while only 8% believe this impact is slight and 2% believe this impact is nonexistent.

People living in Quebec and B.C. are slightly more likely to believe that depression and anxiety will have a strong impact on a person’s relationships (89% in both provinces) compared to those in Ontario (85%), Atlantic Canada (82%), and Alberta (81%). People in the Prairies are less likely to believe in the strength of this impact (79%).

Women are more likely to feel the impact on relationships is strong (88% compared to 83% of men).

Canadians in the 25 to 34 year old age category are most likely to believe that depression or anxiety has a strong impact on relationships (91%). This compares to the 84% of those 18 to 24, 87% of those 35 to 54, and 85% of those 55 to 64. Only 78% of people over the age of 64 believe that depression and anxiety will have a strong impact on a person’s relationships.

Additionally, more than three-quarters (78%) of Canadians believe that depression and anxiety have a strong impact on a person’s success at their job. Only 16% say this impact would be slight, and 2% believe there would be no impact at all.

While Quebecois are less likely to say they have been effected by depression personally, they understand its impact on job performance. More than four-fifths (86%) believes that depression will have a strong impact on a person’s success at work. This compares to 77% in Ontario and B.C., 72% in Atlantic Canada, 71% in Alberta, and 70% in the Prairies who feel the same.

Again, Canadians in the 25 to 34-age category are most likely to believe this impact would be strong (85%). Older Canadians (those over the age of 64) are less likely to believe depression or anxiety will affect performance at work (59%).

Approximately one-third of Canadians (34%) believe that people would think less of them if they suffered from depression or anxiety.

This is particularly true in Quebec, where almost one-half (47%) believe people would think less of them if they suffered from depression or anxiety. People in B.C. and Atlantic Canada are least likely to believe people will think less of them (25% and 28% respectively). Results in Ontario (30%) the Prairies (30%) and Alberta (34%) are close to the national average.

Treatments for Depression and Anxiety

Almost one-half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.

While people living in Atlantic Canada and Quebec are less likely to feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety, those who have are more likely to have visited a doctor for it (59% and 58% respectively). This compares to the 39% in the Prairies, 42% in Alberta, 48% in B.C. and 47% in Ontario who have gone to a doctor for their depression or anxiety.

Men are less likely to have seen a doctor than women (39% compared to 56%).

Canadians under the age of 25 and over the age of 65 are less likely to have visited a doctor for depression or anxiety (29% and 37%) compared to those 25 to 64 (53%).

The majority of Canadians believe that treatment will allow people suffering from depression or anxiety to better cope with their symptoms (63%). An additional 12% believe treatment will allow these sufferers to see only slight improvement, or no improvement at all. Only 12% believe that those suffering from depression or anxiety can be recovered and free of symptoms.

Those living in Quebec are most likely to believe that treatment can allow sufferers to be symptom free (16%), compared to 14% in Atlantic Canada, 13% in B.C., 11% in the Prairies, 9% in Ontario and 8% in Alberta.

Younger people are less likely to believe that treatment can allow sufferers of depression and anxiety to be symptom free (9% of those 18 to 34, compared to 12% of those 35 to 54, and 14% of those 55 or older), and are more likely to think that the treatment will simply allow people to better cope with the symptoms (69% of those 18 to 34, 66% of those 35 to 54 and 52% of those over 54).

Only one-third (34%) of Canadians are aware of new treatment options that are more effective, safe and tolerable.

Awareness of new treatments is particularly low in Quebec, where only 24% are aware of them. This compares to 32% awareness in the Prairies, 35% in B.C., 39% in both Atlantic Canada and Ontario and 40% in Alberta.

Women are much more aware of these advancements than are men (42% versus 26% respectively).

Younger Canadians are not as aware of these new treatments, with 27% of those 18 to 34 knowing of them, compared to 36% of those 35 to 44, 42% of those 45 to 64 and 32% of those 65 and older.

This independent survey was conducted by Leger Marketing in December 2002 and January 2003. This national sample of 1,500 Canadian adults 18 years or older is accurate within +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.